The next question in this series expands on what was covered in Question 1&2. Now lets talk about booth theme and creating your look using display furniture.
Question 3. What is booth theme and where can “I” find the right display furniture to emulate my theme best suited for the medium I work in?
What is booth theme? The theme of a booth is the environment customers physically enter into to experience ones work allowing for an easy transition from work to booth display in order to create a positive and comfortable buying environment that features ones work, not over powers it. If you have more people saying “wow nice booth” over “what beautiful artwork you have” then may have fallen into this pitfall.
Some common themes are visible in everyday places where you shop or eat. Visit your favorite shops and restaurants and see what theme they are trying to represent. What makes Victoria's Secret feminine and classy? What eco-friendly themes are visible with salons and spas? What makes shabby chic styles what they are at home décor boutiques? Maybe you see a cozy cabin/nature retreat like Caribou Coffee? The idea is when a customer enters a booth it is almost like they are transported to a different place where their troubles are melted away and in the mind frame to shop. Really look at what you create and think about what it tells you – what theme direction are you going in? For instance, leather-work, like belts or purses, may best housed in an environment that is rich looking with nice neutral earth tones and using accessors such as horse or cow hide.
Like mediums will sell with like display furniture. Wood sells well when displayed on wooden tables or shelving. Photographs and other 2D work are great displaed using grid wall or on panels (such as that offered by ProPanels.com) with additional prints housed in a photo bin nearby. Museum type pieces, like sculptures, are ideal on pedestals. Fabric art should be hanging or draped (like silk scarves) rather than messy and displayed in a bin. Pottery is great relaxing on wooden shelving painted black or white or perched on pedestals depending on the type of pottery/ceramic pieces. Using the right display furniture will make you look very professional rather than as an amateur craft artist.
Where can one purchase these display fixtures? First, use the resources you have already – display furniture you own already for instance. There are some great finds at local auctions, businesses that are going out of business, yard sales, antique shops as well as through Craigslist.com . When you have exhausted these resources, it is time to look into websites that specialize in retail display fixtures. Many of these places have ads in art/craft publications or can be found through some simple web searches. A few that I have found, that may work for you, are www.woodlandmarketing.com and www.kddisplay.com for wooden displays, www.warnerusa.com and www.fetpak.com for jewelry displays, as well as www.kc-store-fixtures.com for everything else (including gridwall). These business are only the tip of the iceberg as to many others that specialize in all types of display fixtures.
Lastly, when looking at getting display furniture and accessories for your booth remember that this is easily transportable. Too many times I see exhibitors about to erect a house rather than a booth and carry more display stuff than art work to shows – is this really wise? If you are one person doing these shows, make sure the display is light and easy to set up as well as fit in your vehicle. Rule of thumb, you should be able to have your display up within 1 hour and the rest of the time devoted to merchandising. Next blog topic will cover merchandising tips.
Note: The photo is one I took of from Best Booth Display award winner Sugar Hill (out of VA) from the Summer Four Seasons Fine Art and Craft Market in 2008.
